I used my EPS for about 6 months then the heatsink got very hot! I measured the voltages going into the regulators on the power supply and it was very high. the Primmary windings on the transformer had shorted. When I Re-wound the transformer primary windings I found that the windings were &quot;Slush Wound&quot;, that is the windings were not nice and layered, but were full of loops that caused the surface windings to short on loops from lower in the windings. As I did not &quot;Frig&quot; with the thing before this I am not too sure of what the Exact voltages are supposed to be for the secondary windings of the transformer. Ensoniq is not all that talkative about what these voltages need to be either. So the thing became a Lawn ornament not too long after I got it. I am not too interested in buying a new Italian made transformer because it is absolute GARBAGE!! It would be nice if Ensoniq used American Made Power supply componants! Is there anyone out there that can furnish me the information that I require so that I can restart using this synth! For a Synth costing so much you would think that Ensoniq would use a high quality Power supply. With perhaps T-03 Regulators instead of Ganged T-0 220 regulators, The rest of the Synth is TOP Quality! But I can think of a few improvements to some of the parts of it, to make it a much better piece of hardware. I used it with a non standard computer and during the time it did work it worked very well. The clicking noises and Grainyness of the sound are just a function of they sampling method that you use and can be elliminated with better timing in the sampling, then the sounds are real Excellent. What you can do with them is real Excellent also!

Ensoniq needs to review it's policy of keeping quiet about Technical aspects of the synth, as though we are going to STEAL the Technology or something! Perhaps sell kits to upgrade various things to HD drives and other things.

Most things I repair myself, and what is the point of buying something only to have it in an Expensive shop for a long time, and sticking in not too good quality parts. I can guestimate the voltages required, but would rather have someone give them to me.

Screwtin@northcom.net Alfred Be A Good Day! :-)

Rating: 4 out of 5
posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:39

Roman Vargas
a hobbyist user
from SPAIN
writes:

I've benn using the EPS 16+ Rack since 1992 and I just love this machine. It has a really good control matrix and load while plays, but I found some limitations:

1- No LFO MIDI sync.

2- No resonant filters.

3- Low polifony.

4- Very annoying noises when you work with low sounds (like basses) -no solution for this (buy an ASR-10 or ASR-X)-. A really good machine, but time passes...

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:39

Tim Forster
a part time user
from United States
writes:

I'm actually sold on this synth (bidding on a rackmount version). A friend of

mine (who is in an industrial band...if you're in Houston TX check out WRAITH...

you will not regret it!!!!) uses it as his main workstation and came

over one night to sample some of my analogue synth sounds as well as a library

of sounds which I had on my Mac. The thing is phenomenal especially some of

the sounds when put through some of the on-board processing. I think however 90% of the complaints people have about Ensoniq products

breaking down is because they don't take care of their equipment. As with any

synth or sampler or any piece of electronic equipment, treat with care and it

will be there for you when you need it. Beat it around or drop it or entrust it to

a roadie who will drop it like the Samsonite Gorilla and you'll pay the price. Although I agree with Mr. Sierhuis, Ensoniq needs to release their specs and

parts lists, even if it is for discontinued equipment. If they're afraid of

other companies copying their design, they should keep in mind that not many

companies with any reputation will do that...they have their own R&amp;D. The only

people Ensoniq are hurting are themselves... Just my two cents.

Rating: 3 out of 5
posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:39

manny chavez
a professional user
from L.A. USA
writes:

I bought my EPS for 5 bucks. My keyboard has electronic problems that make it sound like shit (gives off a high freq noise),but I can still freak it. The seq is easy to use and I,m thinking of buying ASR-10.

Rating: 3 out of 5
posted Wednesday-Aug-05-1998 at 23:39

Philip
a hobbyist user
from USA
writes:

I owned one for quite a while. The positives are the easy-to-use sequencer and the performance buttons. The main negative is the reliability of this, and no, this was not mistreated in any way whatsoever. It simply is unreliable due to problems with the disk drive (I had to replace mine), keyboard calibration (in the shop twice for this) and a weird humming sound. The features are nice and this does have a support network in the form of the Transoniq Hacker magazine, but the time in the repair shops and the $ I have had to spend on getting it fixed before I finally sold the damn thing makes it not worth getting unless you just have to have a sampler/workstation for a cheap price no matter what. BUYER BEWARE!